Opens February 5 at The Africa Center, New York
Yusuf Ahmed, Viktor and the Russian Princess Doll, 2023, courtesy of the artist
I have two dolls from Russia. I chose these dolls over everything else because they are inherently feminine. The big reason why I stuck to them is because of my mom and grandmother, the Russian part of my family. Those are the Russian women who raised me and when I hold the dolls, it’s them that I see.
- Viktor
ON VIEW
February 5, 2025—April 27, 2025
LOCATION
The Africa Center 1280 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029
Download Press Image Sheet
February 5, 2025—April 27, 2025
LOCATION
The Africa Center 1280 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029
Download Press Image Sheet
NEW YORK, NY — The Africa Center will present Between Nostalgia & Dreams, an evocative new show featuring portraits by Ethiopian-American photographer Yusuf Ahmed that explores the delicate interplay between memory and erasure, heritage and identity. Through fifteen intimate photographic stories that journey from Hanoi to Maputo, Addis Ababa to New York, Ahmed uses his lens to map the deeply personal terrain of home, memory, and belonging.
Starting from a simple question—“What is the object you’ve held onto the longest?”—Ahmed collaborates with friends and acquaintances who share immigrant identities across the African, Asian, and Middle Eastern Diasporas, revealing objects freighted with deep personal and cultural significance: a pair of scissors, a childhood diary, a delicate vase, a Russian doll. These seemingly ordinary items become luminous vessels for stories of ancestors, distant homelands, and fractured yet enduring identities.
“This exhibition is deeply personal and is rooted in my journey growing up across Ethiopia, Kenya, and the U.S. It’s about the memories we cling to—the ones we try to piece back together and the ones we think we may have lost,” said Ahmed of his works. “I drew inspiration from people whose stories feel like home to me, exploring how diasporization and migration leave their mark on our sense of self. This project reminded me that memory isn’t linear; even the ones we think we’ve lost can find their way back through objects, senses, and people.”
For Black, brown, and queer individuals shaped by migration and diaspora, these cherished objects transcend mere nostalgia. They act as sites of tension, where the weight of history confronts the possibilities of a reimagined future.
From adoption to ancestry, from coming out to building chosen family, each photograph in the exhibition illuminates the fragile yet vital threads that tether us to identities that may feel distant, yet persist. By placing these objects in front of the camera’s gaze, Beyond Nostalgia and Dreams offers an invitation to think critically about not just from where we come, but also how we choose to carry and transform these inheritances into the future.
Between Nostalgia & Dreams will open on February 5, 2025 at The Africa Center. For more information visit theafricacenter.org.
Download Press Image Sheet
Between Nostalgia & Dreams will open on February 5, 2025 at The Africa Center. For more information visit theafricacenter.org.
Download Press Image Sheet
About Yusuf Ahmed
Yusuf Ahmed is an Ethiopian-American documentary filmmaker, photographer, and communications strategist based in New York City. Yusuf’s work in documentary portraiture and film examines contemporary conditions of globalization and how it impacts the construction of memory, identity, and notions of belonging. Yusuf received his B.A in international relations and communications from Denison University. He has directed, produced, and documented projects across Africa and the Middle East tackling diverse issues including migration, heritage conservation, agriculture, and disease elimination. He recently produced the short film "The Fly Collectors" in Senegal and is currently directing and producing his first feature film "Love Belt."
About The Africa Center
The Africa Center is a multidisciplinary 501c3 nonprofit institution helping to shape a vision of Africa's future. Serving as a gateway to engagement with contemporary Africa, and as a platform for the exchange of ideas around culture, business, and policy as related to the African continent, The Africa Center advances thought and action around Africa’s global influence and impact on our collective futures. Learn more at www.theafricacenter.org. Follow The Africa Center on X.com, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @TheAfricaCenter.
Yusuf Ahmed is an Ethiopian-American documentary filmmaker, photographer, and communications strategist based in New York City. Yusuf’s work in documentary portraiture and film examines contemporary conditions of globalization and how it impacts the construction of memory, identity, and notions of belonging. Yusuf received his B.A in international relations and communications from Denison University. He has directed, produced, and documented projects across Africa and the Middle East tackling diverse issues including migration, heritage conservation, agriculture, and disease elimination. He recently produced the short film "The Fly Collectors" in Senegal and is currently directing and producing his first feature film "Love Belt."
About The Africa Center
The Africa Center is a multidisciplinary 501c3 nonprofit institution helping to shape a vision of Africa's future. Serving as a gateway to engagement with contemporary Africa, and as a platform for the exchange of ideas around culture, business, and policy as related to the African continent, The Africa Center advances thought and action around Africa’s global influence and impact on our collective futures. Learn more at www.theafricacenter.org. Follow The Africa Center on X.com, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @TheAfricaCenter.